ZANU PF has dismissed allegations by the United States that it is involved in the recall of opposition members from Parliament.
Speaking at a press briefing at the sidelines of the 350th
Politburo session at the party headquarters, the Secretary for Information and
Publicity Cde Simon Khaya Moyo said Zanu PF had no role to play in the recall
of opposition party members from Parliament.
Cde Khaya Moyo said the party cannot be threatened by the
United States for the recalls made in Parliament.
“We have been under sanctions for more than two decades.
They are saying they are now watching us because of the recall which we are not
involved in. They must watch somewhere not us because we have nothing to do
with the recalls,” said Cde Khaya Moyo.
“They are already watching Zimbabwe through the sanctions.
We are calling for those sanctions to go.”
Some sections of the media reported allegations made by
MDC-Alliance vice president and former legislator for Harare East Mr Tendai
Biti that Zanu PF played a role in the recall of the opposition party members.
The statements come after Mr Biti and five others were
recalled from Parliament after the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) announced
that they no longer belonged to the party. Speaker of the National Assembly
Advocate Jacob Mudenda announced the expulsion last week.
Adv Mudenda said PDP secretary-general Mr Benjamin Rukanda
wrote to him advising that the six had ceased to represent their party. Other
members who were recalled include William Madzimure of Kambuzuma, Settlement
Chikwinya, Kucaca Ivumile Phulu, Sichelesile Mahlangu and Regai Tsunga.
The letter was copied to MDC-T, MDC led by Professor
Welshman Ncube, the Multiracial Christian Democracy, Zanu Ndonga, Zimbabwe
People First and Transform Zimbabwe, which were all part of the MDC-Alliance
ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections.
Cde Khaya Moyo said over the weekend there were reports
from some sections of the media saying that Zanu PF was responsible for the
recall of members belonging to other parties from Parliament.
“I want to state clearly that we cannot be held responsible
as Zanu PF for the recall of members of other parties.
“We can only recall our own members, not members of other
parties. It is not possible. It’s illegal and I don’t think it will be
acceptable by any authority in Parliament, the Speaker and the rest. So let it
be very clear that we dismiss that report that we are behind the recall of
members of the opposition.”
He emphasised that there is no legal instrument which can
be used by any party to recall members from the opposition party.
“We have no mandate.
There is no legal instrument we can use as a party to recall members of other
parties in Parliament. Those who are being recalled are being recalled by their
own parties not by Zanu PF. We have no interest actually in recalling people,
because we have two third majority in Parliament
“So why should we lose sleep by saying we want to recall so
and so,” Further, Cde Khaya Moyo said members are recalled by their own
parties, the Speaker of Parliament makes the announcement in the House.
The recalls of opposition MPs and senators follows major
leadership disputes in two opposition parties, and a dispute over the precise
legal status of the MDC-Alliance. These disputes have seen civil suits in the
Supreme and High Courts with opposition party members suing other opposition
party members. None of the suits involved the Government or Zanu PF.
The first cases resulted in a Supreme Court judgement
brought by one group within the MDC-T against another group in the same party.
The Supreme Court found, after going through the evidence presented, that under
the MDC-T’s own rules, its party constitution, that Adv Nelson Chamisa had
first been improperly promoted to a vice-president of the party and then had
improperly taken control of the party after the death of Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.
Thus the party leadership reverted to those who were in position before these
improper appointments.
The MDC-T leadership then asserted that the MDC-Alliance
was simply an electoral pact formed by seven opposition parties to prevent a
split in the opposition vote in the 2018 elections. Those running the MDC-A
said the pact had been converted into a new political party. The High Court
found that the MDC-T position was the correct interpretation after looking at
the papers presented by both sets of opposition leaders.
Under the MDC-A pact each of the constituent opposition
parties had been allocated seats to fight on behalf of the alliance, that is
they would nominate the joint opposition candidate.
The MDC-T under its original leadership recalled a large
number of legislators on the grounds that they declined to acknowledge the
party leadership, and even their membership of the party, and so were no longer
members of the party. The same grounds were given by the PDP when it recalled
its six MPs. None of the other five parties who made up the alliance have
recalled members.
In yesterday’s breifing Cde Moyo said the Politburo also
received the constitutional review process from the Secretary for Legal Affairs
Cde Paul Mangwana following recommendations from the constitutional review
committee.
The objective of the review process, he said is to
strengthen and democratise the party. Herald
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